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Necessary, but Insufficient: School Counselors' Informal Learning Experiences with Writing Letters of Recommendations.

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Title: Necessary, but Insufficient: School Counselors' Informal Learning Experiences with Writing Letters of Recommendations.
Authors: Savitz-Romer, Mandy1 mandy_savitz-romer@gse.harvard.edu, Nicola, Tara1 tara_nicola@g.harvard.edu, DiLorenzo, Julius2 jdilo@umich.edu, Ha, Jen1 jenniferha@g.harvard.edu, Desiderio, Amy1 adesiderio@gse.harvard.edu, Galvez, Sebastian Munoz1, O'Brien, Matthew1
Source: Journal of College Access. Jan2026, Vol. 11 Issue 1, p29-54. 26p.
Subject Terms: *University & college admission, *Letters of recommendation (Education), *Nonformal education, *Qualitative research, *Educational outcomes, *Student counselors
Abstract: Submission of recommendation letters from high school counselors is a requirement for undergraduate admission at many selective colleges. However, there has been limited research to-date examining these critical application components and the front-line professionals who generate them. This study examines how high school counselors, who are key actors in holistic admission practices, learn how to craft recommendation letters. Given previous research has found that counselors have limited training in college admission counseling, understanding the learning processes that shape their letter writing is a critical first step for improving the quality of letters and their utility for student success in the admission process. We draw on qualitative data from 45 semi-structured interviews with high school counselors across the country and found that counselors predominantly learn about this critical facet of their role through informal, on-the-job learning processes rather than via formal pre- or in-service learning opportunities. We argue that informal learning is necessary but insufficient in providing equitable, reliable access to understanding this facet of the college admission process and can exacerbate disparities in the quality and content of counselor recommendation letters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Journal of College Access is the property of Journal of College Access and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Education Research Complete
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  Data: Necessary, but Insufficient: School Counselors' Informal Learning Experiences with Writing Letters of Recommendations.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Savitz-Romer%2C+Mandy%22">Savitz-Romer, Mandy</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo><i> mandy_savitz-romer@gse.harvard.edu</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Nicola%2C+Tara%22">Nicola, Tara</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo><i> tara_nicola@g.harvard.edu</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22DiLorenzo%2C+Julius%22">DiLorenzo, Julius</searchLink><relatesTo>2</relatesTo><i> jdilo@umich.edu</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Ha%2C+Jen%22">Ha, Jen</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo><i> jenniferha@g.harvard.edu</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Desiderio%2C+Amy%22">Desiderio, Amy</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo><i> adesiderio@gse.harvard.edu</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Galvez%2C+Sebastian+Munoz%22">Galvez, Sebastian Munoz</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22O'Brien%2C+Matthew%22">O'Brien, Matthew</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Journal+of+College+Access%22">Journal of College Access</searchLink>. Jan2026, Vol. 11 Issue 1, p29-54. 26p.
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  Data: *<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22University+%26+college+admission%22">University & college admission</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Letters+of+recommendation+%28Education%29%22">Letters of recommendation (Education)</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Nonformal+education%22">Nonformal education</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Qualitative+research%22">Qualitative research</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Educational+outcomes%22">Educational outcomes</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Student+counselors%22">Student counselors</searchLink>
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  Data: Submission of recommendation letters from high school counselors is a requirement for undergraduate admission at many selective colleges. However, there has been limited research to-date examining these critical application components and the front-line professionals who generate them. This study examines how high school counselors, who are key actors in holistic admission practices, learn how to craft recommendation letters. Given previous research has found that counselors have limited training in college admission counseling, understanding the learning processes that shape their letter writing is a critical first step for improving the quality of letters and their utility for student success in the admission process. We draw on qualitative data from 45 semi-structured interviews with high school counselors across the country and found that counselors predominantly learn about this critical facet of their role through informal, on-the-job learning processes rather than via formal pre- or in-service learning opportunities. We argue that informal learning is necessary but insufficient in providing equitable, reliable access to understanding this facet of the college admission process and can exacerbate disparities in the quality and content of counselor recommendation letters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
  Label:
  Group: Ab
  Data: <i>Copyright of Journal of College Access is the property of Journal of College Access and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
PLink https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=ehh&AN=191252219
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        Text: English
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      – SubjectFull: University & college admission
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Letters of recommendation (Education)
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Nonformal education
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      – SubjectFull: Qualitative research
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      – SubjectFull: Educational outcomes
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      – SubjectFull: Student counselors
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      – TitleFull: Necessary, but Insufficient: School Counselors' Informal Learning Experiences with Writing Letters of Recommendations.
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              Text: Jan2026
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